Trauma patients at non-trauma centers: tips for detection and improved outcomes.

摘要

It's 3:02 am and you hear the telltale tire screeching at the ED doors. You go outside to find a 25-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, abdomen, and left leg. Unfortunately, this scene may be familiar for nurses working in both trauma centers and in non-trauma centers. Treating trauma patients at designated trauma centers, and treating the severely injured at a level I center, designated by the American College of Surgeons, is associated with improved survivial. However, some areas are still without organized trauma systems or field trauma triage criteria. Some hospitals may choose not to pursue American College of Surgeons designation because of the cost and resources required. Even in areas with organized trauma systems, trauma patients can walk into or be dropped off at a non-trauma hospital by private car.